1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a blast deflector for rifles having recoil arrestors, and more particularly to deflector for eliminating the effect on a shooter's ears from the muzzle blast produced by the recoil arrestor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hunting enthusiasts commonly utilize rifle recoil arrestors that redirect the expanding gases from the burning powder at an essentially right angle to the rifle barrel, rather than following the same direction as the bullet. However, the exiting gasses produce a blast of sound back toward the shooter. The noise level of such muzzle blast, and the pressure on the eardrums causes significant discomfort. Long time exposure to such blasts may result in damage to the hearing.
Attempts to deflect the muzzle blast have been attempted in the prior art. Known devices have been combinations of a recoil arrestor and a blast deflector. For example, Chahin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,151 discloses a straight through barrel and a series of outwardly extending openings. U.S. Pat. No. 2,150,161 to Green, U.S. Pat. No. 3,368,453 to Shaw, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,427,802 to Goodwin all use various flared barrel designs to arrest recoil and reduce muzzle blast. The prior art designs are rather complex and present difficulties in fabrication.
Thus, there is a need for a simple, low cost device that may be used in conjunction with commonly used recoil arrestors for reducing the harmful and uncomfortable effects of the muzzle blast.